


You Can't Be Too Careful

by Ella (ellabellachicketychella)



Series: why do the stars shine so bright [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Brainwashing, Galra Keith (Voltron), I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lance Has Finally Figured That Out, M/M, Partial Mind Control, Slow Burn, Team Voltron Family, Team as Family, This was chaos to write, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellabellachicketychella/pseuds/Ella
Summary: Lance isn't one to be reckless, that's Keith's job. He sits on the sidelines observing everyone else, their strengths, weaknesses and how he works around those strengths and weaknesses. But when a mission goes slightly pear-shaped (again) and Keith is in danger. Suddenly Lance becomes the reckless one.(Much to Shiro's dismay)---“You need to stop getting stabbed, you hear me Kogane or I’m going to throw you out into the airlock!”“I’d like to see you try... Let me go! Lance!” He shrieked. “Is this an excuse to touch my ass?”“I’m not going anywhere near that thing."
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: why do the stars shine so bright [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979423
Comments: 16
Kudos: 215





	You Can't Be Too Careful

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning - Keith vomits, like two/three times, and it goes into some detail. I felt kinda sick writing it, so please, please, please be careful! Please don't vomit. There's barely any violence though, Keith wrecks some sentries but that's mentioned in passing.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lance stared at Keith’s face, sleeping, or cryogenically frozen. Whatever they called it, he looked the most peaceful when he was in the pod. When he was in the pod he didn’t have that crease between his eyebrows and that scowl he seemed to carry with him almost everywhere he went.

“He’s okay,” Shiro said from behind him and Lance jumped. Spinning around incredibly quickly and letting his mouth fall open.

“H —hey Shiro!” Lance hugged his jacket around him. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask the same about you,” he said in his Dad Voice TM and he looked at Lance. Concern sewn into his features. “You need some sleep Lance, you did well on that mission.”

Lance just shrugged, he hadn’t done a lot. Just formed Voltron like asked and then let Keith get shocked. He wouldn’t call that doing well. Did people really have such low expectations of him?

“He’s been in the pod a lot recently,” he crossed his arms. “I’m worried.”

“How so?” Shiro asked, Lance knew this trick. His own dad did it to make him talk about anything and everything. It was the easiest way to get a child to talk, and he wasn’t going to fall for it. He wasn’t a child anymore.

He opened his mouth to reply. So apparently Lance was a child and the trick was working. “It’s concerning. Before we sent the messages home he’d been in the pod like twice maybe? And now it’s rare for us to have a mission where he doesn’t end up in the pod.”

Shiro nodded, before sitting down next to Lance. Like a toddler, crossing his legs underneath him. “He’s a worry,” he sighed.

“Yeah,” Lance laughed. “You could say that again.”

They stayed silent for a moment, and while Lance wouldn’t call it awkward, but he wouldn’t call it natural either. Shiro sighed again, leaning against the wall that Lance was pressed up against.

“Sometimes I think he forgets that people care now,” Shiro confessed, quietly, in a voice which was so unlike Shiro that Lance had to look at him to check that it really was Shiro saying these words and it was. “He works his ass off for people he cares about and forgets they’d do the same for them.”

Lance nodded. “He has some walls up.”

“Yeah,” Shiro sighed, “But he’s a good kid.”

“He’s a great person,” Lance confirmed and Shiro was smiling at him softly. How his brothers used to smile at him when Lance did something funny or silly. But nothing about what Lance just said seemed like a joke. It was different than that, maybe more like his Dad? 

Shiro ruffled Lance’s hair who squawked. Before Shiro stood up and held out his hand, “You need to go to bed Lance.”

“I want to be here when he wakes up,” Lance argued and Shiro sighed softly. “I know it’s dumb, but I want him to know I— we care.”

“You’re allowed to care about him Lance,” Shiro said softly again, smiling again. “You’re allowed to care and you’re allowed to say you care.”

Lance looked up at Shiro, before sighing quietly. “Were you with Professor, Commander, whatever you wanted to call him, Wright? Adam?”

Shiro’s face faltered for a moment. “How did you know?”

He shrugged and Shiro scrunched up his face, thinking. There didn’t seem like a lot to think about when it came to him and Adam, yet here was Shiro thinking about it like it was balancing chemistry equations. “Yeah, yeah we were.”

“Okay,” Lance hugged his knees to his chest. Trying to keep it cool despite that one of his biggest idols wasn’t straight and Lance had no clue what he was supposed to do with that. Probably be relieved. “Did… people treat you differently for it?”

Shiro looked at Lance, his expression curious and something else he then smiled a little. “Sorry, just reminds me of a conversation I had with someone else a long time ago— uh, yeah. But not the people that mattered, because the people that mattered didn’t care.”

Lance nodded. Before sighing. Hugging his jacket to him closer and not responding because he didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to one of his biggest idols he ever had giving him advice on something as simple as… whatever this mess of a conversation was.

“I’ve said it before, and I feel like I’ll be saying it until I’m grey, owning your true self helps you with Voltron and your lion,” Shiro smiled, “Get some sleep Lance.”

A few minutes after Shiro left he returned with blankets and pillows before giving them to Lance. “Rest up Lance, he should be awake in the morning.”

Lance nodded once, his eyes flickering closed as soon as he put his head on the pillow. Shiro laughed softly and his footsteps rang out as he left the room, for good.

A mechanical whir woke him up, and Lance sat up, straight before getting onto his feet as Keith stumbled out of the pod, almost falling onto his face and Lance caught him. Wrapping his arms around Keith to stop him from smashing his face on the floor.

The lights were still dimmed. So Shiro was wrong then. “Hey,” Lance said and Keith grumbled before nuzzling into Lance. “Keith,” he laughed.

“Nap.” Keith muttered. Before he stood up straight, his eyes wide and he looked at Lance. “Oh. Hey Lance!” His voice sounding slightly strained and Lance wanted to laugh at this, but he didn’t, because he was an excellent friend. “What happened?”

“A Galra got a particular good hit on you… well it was meant for Hunk, but you stepped in the way.”

“Oh,” Keith rubbed at his eyes.

What Lance wasn’t going to say is that he carried Keith back to Blue, semi-conscious and Keith was spluttering, not saying much but saying something. Which if Keith had forgotten about Lance wasn’t going to mention. 

“Okay.”

Lance grabbed Keith by the shoulders, before shaking him back and forth. “You need to stop getting stabbed, you hear me Kogane or I’m going to throw you out into the airlock!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Keith mumbled and Lance proceeded to scoop up Keith who yelped in protest, before slamming his fists on Lance’s back. “Let me go! Lance!” He shrieked, trying to wiggle out of Lance’s arms. “Is this an excuse to touch my ass?”

“I’m not going anywhere near that thing,” Lance shuddered slightly. But didn’t let Keith go, as Keith tried to get out, kicking his legs and hitting his fists against his back. “You’re a pipsqueak, you’re stuck here.”

Keith tried to wiggle. Or do anything, before sighing, and letting Lance carry him around like how Shrek carried Fiona. They went past a doorway which Keith latched onto, and Lance tried to drag him off.

He didn’t let go.

“Let go, you gremlin!” Lance yelled and Keith shook his head. Before landing a foot into Lance’s chest who groaned and went flying back onto the floor. With a thump. Keith just smiled at him.

Before bolting in the other direction.

A wise decision, if Lance wasn’t a faster runner than him. And taller, because Lance had an arm wrapped around Keith’s waist and had thrown him to the ground, following and sitting on top of him. His knees bracing either side of Keith who just glared at him.

“Get off me,” Keith pushed on Lance’s chest who responded by putting the rest of his weight on Keith. “Get off me weirdo!” Lance looked at Keith. Were normal people’s canine teeth that sharp.

Lance tickled Keith, his side and Keith shrieked. Showing off his teeth. Yup, why were his canines that sharp? He didn’t say anything, and was too shocked from the former revelation to fight against Keith as he flipped them over.

Keith scowled. “You’re a nightmare.”

“You love me.”

“I love you the same way people loved Trump.”

“Not at all?” Lance prodded and Keith nodded.

“Morning,” Pidge was standing in the doorway. Clutching a cup of something, her hair sticking out in every single possible direction. She tilted her head a little bit. “Hey Keith.”

Keith scrambled off of Lance. Crossing his arms and scowling, at what Lance didn’t really know. He also stood up, brushing off invisible dust and smiling at Pidge who gave a kind smile back.

“Hi.” Keith said, shortly, before basically sprinting out of there.

“That was weird,” Lance muttered and Pidge actually facepalmed. “Hey Pidge, have you noticed how sharp Keith’s canine teeth are?”

Pidge stood a little bit straighter, her eyes darting to where Keith had just walked out of, before looking back at Lance a little bit less frantic. “Genetics are crazy, right? My mom has an extra tooth above her canine tooth.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” Pidge smiled, “It’s crazy, I do too,” she lifted up her lip. To revealing an extra tooth above her canine tooth. “We call it a shark tooth. It’s a Holt family trait, and by that I mean Mom and I have it.”

Lance smiled. “My mum has heterochromia. My eyes are actually slightly different shades of blue, it’s almost impossible to tell.”

“Unless someone is making out with you or staring into your eyes?” Pidge said bluntly and Lance nodded. “Thought as much. C’mon I have a new video game, Hunk refuses to play it and right now Keith is being too emo to do anything with me.”

“Sure.”

* * *

“Keith!” Hunk said, “You’re alive!”

“Mhmm,” Keith hummed, eating more food goo. “Nice tah see ya too Hunk.”

“Wow,” Pidge muttered. “You’re a cowboy. Can you say y’all?”

“Y’all.” Keith drawled like this somehow was the most uninteresting thing that had ever happened to him.

“Howdy?”

“Howdy.”

“Yeehaw?”

“Nope,” Keith said.

Lance was currently on the couch, strumming a tune on what Coran had claimed was like a guitar. He’d lied. It had four strings and sounded more like a lute. But still, Lance was plucking at it. Having the time of his life. Completely ignoring his friends being idiots.

“Can you say I’m Flowey the Flower?” Pidge asked.

“Who?”

“Nevermind. What about ‘I wanna be a cowboy baby?’”

“No.”

“You’re no fun,” Pidge grumbled.

“I almost died yesterday,” Keith argued.

Lance turned around on the couch, his lute-guitar forgotten completely. “You weren’t gonna die,” Lance argued. “You were bleeding a lot, but not  _ that  _ much.”

“Oh!” Pidge clapped her hands together, bouncing on her heels as Hunk sighed. “Lance carried you back to Blue.”

Keith rolled his eyes, before glancing at Lance and his expression softened ever so slightly. Before it changed back to Keith’s usual expression, cold, a bit angry, but fondness buried. Deep, deep underneath it all. “I didn’t know he was strong enough to carry more than a paperclip.”

“Hey!” Lance yelled, standing up on the couch. “You’re strong enough to…” thinking, he was thinking and thinking. “Carry less!”

“Get ‘im Lance!” Hunk yelled and Lance nodded to himself.

“God y’all are annoying,” Keith muttered under his breath, and considering Pidge didn’t jump on that she hadn’t heard it. Lance had and he smiled ear to ear, Keith saw him and his face dropped. “No, no, absolutely not.”

“He just said y’all!” Lance yelled, bounding over the couch. “Y’all, y’all, y’all. Have you ever said y’ain’t?” He flung an arm over Keith’s shoulders who let it stay there. For now at least.

Someone cleared their throat and everyone turned around to look at Shiro. “Yup,” he smiled, and Keith’s face seemed to drain of all the blood he had. “When he was particularly mad he’d go full Texan.”

“Fuck off Shiro,” Keith muttered. “At least I don’t still say tea unironically. That slang is from when my parents were born.”

Shiro just had a shit-eating smile as Keith pushed off Lance’s arm. With a deep scowl. “Also when he’s stressed. One time he had a test and he uttered the sentence, ‘y’all are gonna die and y’ain’t shit.’”

Everyone laughed hard and Keith scowled.

* * *

“Imma gon’ die and y’aint gonna mourn mah,” Keith muttered and no one laughed this time. Which made sense, because unlike last time they were locked in a Galra prison. Chained to the floor. Without bayards. Generally very, completely useless.

“I shouldn’t’ve come tah save Shiro.”

“Keith,” Pidge said to the roof. “Stop going all Texan. No one has any idea what you’re saying.”

“Sorray for bein’ a bit stressed!” Keith yelled, “Considerin’ how we’re gonna die and all!”

Lance sighed, somehow he’d aged fifty years in how ever long they’d been here. Which wasn’t all that long. Maybe an hour? And Pidge and Keith had been arguing about nothing and Lance was about to put his head through a wall.

Was this how Shiro felt when Keith and him used to argue? Because if so Lance needed to apologise to him and buy him something… he didn’t know what though.

“We’re not going to die,” Lance sighed. “Well you two might if you don’t shut up.”

“Oh you wanna go Leandro?” Pidge asked, balling her hands into fists. “Square the fuck up.” Lance sighed and smacked his head against the wall. “When we get out of here you better be ready to fight.”

“Dios ayúdame,” Lance muttered. Smacking his head against the wall. “La muerte se ve muy bien.” Keith and Pidge looked at him and Lance smacked his head against the wall again. “Okay children, we’re not going to die. Pidge stop threatening to fight everyone and Keith, stop it.”

“I’m not doing anything!” Keith exclaimed.

Lance sighed. “Me siento como un padre.” He muttered, “Okay, Keith stop arguing with Pidge. Pigeon Holt, I am going to end your bloodline if you don’t stop threatening to fight people who aren’t Galra.”

Pidge pouted. She would’ve crossed her arms if she could. But considering their arms were chained up and connected to the floor, that made that a lot more difficult. Lance sighed. “I need to apologise to Shiro.”

“Why?” Keith asked, his nose wrinkling. 

“Because if this is what it was like when you and I fought, I don’t know how he didn’t throw himself out of the airlock.”

Pidge laughed, “Oh you were way worse. I’m pretty sure one time I saw Shiro eye the airlock the way that I eye up cool technology.”

Keith snorted at that, and it went quiet afterwards. No one said anything, mainly because Lance was thinking and after an incident when Shiro and Keith were arguing and Lance yelled at them to “shut the fuck up before I kick you so hard your children will feel it” everyone learnt to stay mostly quiet when Lance was thinking.

It didn’t happen often.

Just enough so that they knew better.

So they were on a fighter ship, Shiro and Hunk knew where they were going and since they had the general layout of fighter ships they could get to them. “Which cell are we in?” Lance asked.

“End one,” Keith replied and Lance nodded.

So they were in the end cell, that meant that if they kicked through the wall that Pidge was sitting against they’d get to the control room and that meant they could fly this ship into the ground. The problem with that was they didn’t have their lions with them so they’d go down with the ship.

If Shiro and Hunk were smart, which they were. Hunk at least, according to Keith, Shiro had tried to cook cookies for one minute at 3500°F and almost burnt their house down. Hopefully Hunk would be smart enough.

Going through the wall Pidge was on was better, because if this was the layout of a standard fighter ship then the docking bay would be nearby. Wait… they could get out through pods, every Galra ship had to have them.

All they had to do was contact Hunk and Shiro, or Allura, anyone who wasn’t here and tell them what was happening. “I have an idea.”

“Oh. Great.” Keith deadpanned, but he didn’t say anything else. So that sounded like he was giving Lance permission to speak. 

“So, theoretically if we broke through that wall that Pidge is against. We’d be in the control room, off the control room is a docking bay with escape pods. I’m assuming they’re keeping our bayards and helmets in the control room because that’s where the Captain will be and, y’know how the captains incharge.”

Pidge’s eyes lit up. “Holy shit. You aren’t a complete idiot.”

“Thanks Pidge.” Lance deadpanned.

Keith was looking at him, like  _ really  _ looking at him with a soft smile on his face. Was he having a stroke? Lance clicked his fingers a few times and Keith snapped out of it. His face going mostly expressionless and he was scowling slightly.

“Are you okay man?”

Pidge groaned. Pulling at her chains. “I am not going to be here to witness whatever fuckery happens.”

Keith looked down at the floor, also tugging on his chains. Glaring at them like the chains would wilt under his glare. Pidge groaned, before sitting back down. Which Lance and Keith also followed.

“So do you know Alan Turing?” Pidge asked, looking at Keith who nodded slowly. “I know Shiro wouldn’t let you down.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Keith asked. “Wait, is this like asking someone whether they like Girl in Red or… Sweater Weather, I think those are the things. Who’s the gay one.”

“Troye Sivan?” 

“Oh, yeah. God they’re old, apparently that’s the slang from when Shiro’s parents were little.”

“Guess it stuck around.”

What was happening? It felt like one of those conversations that went completely over Lance’s head and then he felt left out and stupid.

“Yes I know Alan Turing.”

“I knew it!” Pidge exclaimed, and if her arms weren’t currently chained to the floor she’d be flapping about throwing her arms about everywhere like she was going to take off. “Marsha B. Johnson?”

“Duh,” Keith sighed. Tugging on his chains. 

“I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You aren’t subtle at all.”

“I’d hope not,” Keith muttered, pulling again on his chains which rattled. 

“What’s happening?” Lance asked, “I am so confused.”

Pidge and Keith exchanged a glance. “Don’t worry about it.” Pidge said, but Lance was worrying about it. Was this much better than them arguing? Maybe. “I’ll explain it to you later.”

That meant that Pidge and Lance would forget about it and nothing would get explained to him. There were footsteps and everyone looked at the bars. Where two Galra were standing by the door.

Looking Keith up and down. What was the Galra’s thing with thinking Keith was that hot. Sure, he wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t that hot either. 

“Okay paladins,” one of them said, spitting out the word paladins like it was poison. “Which one of you wants to be mind controlled.”

“None of us?” Lance said, but the Galra soldiers ignored him. Which was frankly a little bit rude. 

“Do you know how hard it is to change the settings to human?” The other one complained. “You have such weird biology, it’s not compatible with Galra basically at all.”

“Me,” Keith stood up. “I’m getting mind controlled.”

“No, no, no, not in this economy,” Lance said, pointing a finger at Keith. “You’re not getting mind controlled because you’d hand our asses to us.”

Pidge looked at Keith, the pair of them met eyes and Pidge’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh,” she looked at Lance. “Sorry, you’re outvoted here.”

“What?” Lance screeched. “First of all, one, Shiro is gonna kill me for letting Keith get mind controlled. Second of all, Shiro is going to kill Keith for volunteering for mind control and third of all. Shiro’s going to kill you for agreeing with Keith.”

Keith met his eyes, the grey-ish purple meeting Lance’s own blue. His eyes were earnest and honest. “Lance. I need you to trust me,” he said softly. “It’ll be fine.” He glanced at the Galra. “Can we have like a minute alone before you turn me on them?” He snapped.

They walked off. Good.

Keith looked at Lance his eyes soft. “Lance, I will be fine.” He crossed his fingers. “This means I’m safe.”

“What?” Lance asked and Keith just shook his head. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

“You can’t be too careful,” Lance repeated his mother’s wisdom and Keith just smiled before rolling his eyes. “Shiro is gonna kill me.”

“We’ll be fine,” Keith said. Pidge coughed muttering something which Lance couldn’t hear but Keith must’ve because he stared at her for a moment too long. “You’re a nightmare.”

The Galra returned before undoing Keith’s chains and dragging him off. Lance couldn’t see his face as he left, but he hoped that he was making himself believe he’d be okay like how he’d convinced Lance he’d be okay.

The cell was left silent as Pidge stared down at her chains. “We need to get these off.” 

Try as they might, they couldn’t figure out a way to get them off. They tugged, Pidge tried to hack something but failed. Lance gave up, “How long does it take to mind control someone?”

“Longer than you think,” Pidge replied with a smug smile. 

“I am so out of the loop,” Lance tugged on his chains enough that he knew they’d be bruised. But kept tugging because he was an idiot and needed these damn things off of him before he either broke his wrists… he had an idea.

He knew how to break out of handcuffs. By either dislocating his thumb, which had the potential to go horribly wrong or getting a bobby pin or another type of wire. “Hey Pidge, do you know how to break out of handcuffs?”

“No? Do you?”

“Okay, so I do.”

“Why the hell?”

“Don’t worry about it. So normally you can’t dislocate your thumb to get out of them—”

“Normally?”

“But I think I can do it for these.”

“You have so much explaining to do.”

“I was a wild teenager, and I almost got kidnapped one time.”

“What?” Pidge squawked. “You need to tell that story when we get outta here.”

Lance nodded, before looking down at his hands. There was a pop and Lance winced. Slipping one of his arms out of the cuff-chain situation they had going on and walking as far as he could towards a panel.

He couldn’t quite reach it, Lance sighed. Before pulling a bit further forward, straining his muscles as he slammed his hand on the panel, and their cuffs were off. Falling to the ground with a jingle.

Pidge didn’t say anything, before attacking the wall with her foot. As Lance rubbed his at his wrists which were multicoloured, bright red and purples and even yellows. He sighed as Pidge managed to break through the wall. With a crash and she ran through, ducking behind something.

Darting through the substantial break she made Lance ducked behind a console. Pidge was panting next to him. “Are you okay?” She said, even if it was more of a breath than actual words. Lance glanced down at his wrists and hands. It hurt. A lot. But he was okay.

He gave a short nod, before listening.

“What do you mean it didn’t work?” Someone yelled, who Lance was going to assume is the captain. 

“Well, we’ve never tried it on a human before,” a timid voice replied.

“We have all human data! From those three humans.”

“Human biology varies,” the timid voice said, “They’re not like Galra where there are slight genetic differences. Humans have different types of blood and brain function.”

“Different blood?”

“Mhmm,” the timid voice replied.

“That’s scary.” The captain replied and Lance had to slam a hand over Pidge’s mouth so she wouldn’t laugh too hard. “Humans scare me.” Pidge snickered into Lance’s hand who shot daggers at her with his eyes.

There were footsteps and Lance peered over the top of the console. Their helmets and bayard were on a far table. Pidge was also peering over, they exchanged a glance. “Who’s getting it?” Pidge whispered.

“I can.” Lance returned. “Hack the consoles, find out where Keith is.”

“You got it boss.”

“Shiro’s our boss.”

“You wouldn’t be a bad boss,” Pidge replied standing up and Lance started sneaking over to the table. There wasn’t much need to sneak, but he did it anyway, glancing at the door. Before looking over the table which was purple.

While Lance hated the Galra with about every inch of his being, he appreciated how they stuck to the evil aesthetic, considering everything was purple and black, he’d say they commited well. There was a soft beeping noise which he knew was Pidge. It was a nice change from the whirring of the menacing sounding machinery.

Altean machinery hummed, Galra machinery drummed. Which Lance thought said all he needed to know about the differences between the Galra and the Altean’s. Pidge laughed softly as Lance pushed his helmet onto his head. Holding his bayard in his hand.

“Pidge!” He threw her bayard and helmet at her. Which she caught without even glancing up, which was impressive and Lance hummed. Keith’s helmet wasn’t there. His bayard wasn’t either and Lance felt cold all over. “His bayard and helmet aren’t here.”

“What?” Pidge looked up. “Oh shit. Okay, I’m contacting Shiro now. I’ll add you into the call.”

Lance nodded, watching the doorway for anyone to come barging in, which no one did. There was a beeping in his helmet.

“Lance, Pidge! Are you alright?”

“We’re fine Dad,” Lance muttered. “So… problem, Keith got dragged away by Galra and they were talking about some brainwashing and now his bayard and helmet aren’t here and I’m kinda freaking out.”

“Wow, we couldn’t tell,” Pidge deadpanned and Lance turned around to scowl at her who just gave a shrug back. “Okay, downloading the map to our helmets Lance. I reckon Keith is in the hospital.”

“Why there?”

“Equipment, also how often do you think Galra use a hospital wing? Can’t you lock the hospital wings on Galra ships?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the perfect place to contain someone who has a tendency to go ballistic,” Pidge finished and Lance could practically feel Shiro’s judgement through the comms, even if he wasn’t talking or wasn’t even showing on the comms. “So where are you Shiro?”

“Hunk and I are docking now.”

“Sending you a map,” Pidge replied. “Try not to die.”

“Thanks Pidge!” Hunk said cheerfully and Shiro sighed. Lance felt that in his soul. “You too!”

Then their video shut off and Lance grabbed his bayard, letting it transform before holding it up. Ready to shoot some bitches in the face. As they slowly made their way down the long, narrow hallway. Towards the docking back.

He didn’t know about Pidge, but he was basically tip-toeing. So that if he did hear footsteps, they wouldn’t be his own and he could start firing to his heart's content. Which wasn’t all that hard.

“Stop,” Pidge whispered and there were footsteps. Lance froze up, flattening himself against the wall and raising his gun to the doorway as his finger curled around the trigger. Trying to ignore the shaking in his hands.

A sentry walked into the threshold and Lance pulled the trigger, the sentry went down and Lance caught it, before dragging it to the side and hiding it in the corner of the room. Pidge walked over and ripped it’s hand off.

When Lance screwed up his nose Pidge sighed. “We can get through doors with a sentry arm,” Pidge argued and Lance nodded once before peeking around the doorway and seeing no one. 

“We’re good,” he murmured before stepping out and gripping the gun tighter and looking around. The purple walls looming impossibly high and the purple walls seeming trying to jump out at them and eat them up.

A door pried open and Lance put his arm out, before pushing Pidge back with his outstretched arm and poking his gun out of the corner. Pidge made a noise of confusion and annoyance but didn’t say anything else. Whether she knew it or not, Pidge was like Lance’s little sister and she was not going to get hurt.

A white tuft of hair stuck from out of the doorway and Pidge jumped, her feet making the metal underneath them ring. As Shiro jumped and looked their way, he muttered something to Hunk and the pair started up towards them.

Lance stepped out and Pidge followed after him, Hunk’s face lit up and he went to say something but Shiro slapped a hand over Hunk’s mouth. Before pressing a finger to his lips which everyone nodded at.

They started down the hallway. Footsteps quietly echoing, barely so. Shiro took the lead, and Pidge was behind him, with her map open as Hunk and Lance walked at the back. Lance glanced over his shoulder enough that he didn’t really know where he was going. 

There were footsteps in front of him and Lance froze. While Shiro, Pidge and Hunk looked forward, Lance turned around. Holding his gun up, he knew what this was going to be. The chances of it being an ambush was annoyingly high.

“This could be an ambush,” Lance mumbled, no one seemed to listen to him and Lance narrowed his eyes, gripping his gun tighter and sighing waiting for sentries to show up.

“Lance?” Shiro’s voice whispered. “What are you doing?”

“I’m eighty percent sure we’re going to get ambushed,” Lance muttered. “Watch Keith pop out of nowhere and go Bucky on us.” Pidge snorted at the reference, however old it was. 

“Who the Hell is Bucky?” Pidge quipped back and Lance laughed, shaking his head before straightening up. Looking down the hallway, his eyes scanning for the slightest bit of movement. “So if Keith has gone Bucky on us, one of us needs to fight him.”

“If Keith is brainwashed, or mind controlled, we are not fighting him,” Shiro snapped and Lance wanted to turn around and tell Shiro to be realistic. 

He didn’t do the first thing, but he took the second option. “Shiro. We need to be real here, I do not want to be beheaded and not by someone with a mullet.”

“How is that your biggest problem here?” Pidge muttered.

“I did not catch him after he decided to go free diving off a cliff for him to stab me,” Lance spat back. “Yes we’re fighting him, we’re not going to hurt him.”

“Lance,” Shiro responded. “You are not the leader. You don’t make these calls.”

“Well I’m makin’ them,” Lance shot back. “I know you care about Keith, and I do too, but by telling us we’re not allowed to fight him if he attacks first you’re putting the team at stake and serious injury. Keith can be ruthless and if he’s not in control who knows. I may not be the leader but you’re not a dictator either, and if you’re making bad calls I’m going to pull you up on it.”

Everyone stayed silent for a moment, an awkward silence. Until the silence relaxed and they kept moving. Lance walking backwards, his eyes on the hallway, looking for any movement. His finger resting on the trigger, ready to pull if he even saw a sentry.

“Okay,” Shiro sighed. “But we’re not hurting him if we can avoid it.”

“Who’s going to use this as an excuse to beat Keith up?” Hunk asked and Lance felt eyes on the back of his neck. 

“If I wanted to beat Keith up, I’d do it another time when he wasn’t being Bucky-ied.” Lance shot back, and they actually went quiet this time. Their footsteps lightly hitting the metal was the only sound, some whirring but nothing else.

If the others found the silence weird they didn’t say anything. They probably weren’t even thinking about it, focusing on trying to get Keith and then get Keith out of here. Which while Lance was also worried about, he found himself being just as worried about the silence.

Silence, complete and utter silence never meant anything good. Considering they’d just had a yelling match that was even worse. Lance could think of two things it meant. 1, they were about to get jumped. Or 2, Keith had lost his fucking mind and people were needed to restrain him.

Lance didn’t want to think about the second option too much. He could handle getting jumped, he could handle being stabbed in the stomach three times in about two hours, he could handle needing to catch Keith in mid-air.

He couldn’t handle the idea that the mind control, brainwashing, or whatever, hadn’t really worked and just turned one of his best friends into a murdering, stabbing… animal who needed to be restrained.

_ “All Galra needed in the hospital wing. We have lost control over Subject 22.”  _ Someone said and it went throughout the entire castle. Lance’s stomach dropped and he found himself opening his own map.

There had to be a quicker route than running around the outskirts of the skin like this was a maze. Lance scowled, before looking up. A vent, or something of the sorts. Looking at his map, that would take him into the central cluster of rooms. Which included the sleeping quarters and the hospital wing.

The other option was to walk for what Pidge estimated was ten minutes and put Keith at risk for those ten minutes.

Lance stopped, before glancing over his shoulder, seeing Hunk turn the corner as Lance looked up at the vent. “This is the worst idea I’ve ever had,” Lance muttered to himself. “Sure, let’s go into a mad Keith who may or may not being trying to kill me. Cool. Shiro’s gonna kill me for this.”

Still for some reason, he jumped up. Using the wall for a bit of extra height and latching onto the vent, which fell with a clang and Lance sighed. Hearing Pidge yelp and Hunk make a noise.

“Where’s Lance?”

This felt like a horror movie. Lance jumped up, again using the wall and thanking his years of gymnastics training for the fact he could pull himself into the vent and start crawling.

“Lance,” Shiro’s voice came through the comms. “Report your location.”

“I’m in a vent,” Lance whispered back. 

Pidge sighed. “Lance, you are not this reckless, get back here right now.”

“Nope, sorry Pigeon, no can do.” He looked back down at his map. The vent was small and Lance barely had room to breathe in it, but there was enough room. “Don’t try and follow me, only Pidge could fit and I don’t want her going on her own.”

“Hey!” Pidge yelled, “I am just as competent as you!”

“Correct,” Lance said, “Look, Pidge you’re more competent than me. But you have the sentry hand and you can hack your way into anything. Make sure Hunk is watching behind you, or someone. I’d say someone with a gun.”

Shiro sighed. “Lance.”

Lance prepared himself to get yelled at. Which made sense, he was being reckless and taking all of Shiro’s calls for him. He’d probably yell at himself if he were Shiro.

“Be careful.”

Lance sighed softly and before crawling more, watching the small dot that was him move. Waiting until his vent ended and he looked down. Discovering his was right above the central hallway.

To his left were the sleeping quarters, to his right was the hospital wing. Lance kicked the vent which hit the ground with a loud clang. He waited for a moment, to see if anyone would come running and when they didn’t Lance hit the floor with a groan. So he needed to bend his knees a bit more.

“Joder,” he said, like a true intellect before hearing footsteps and ducking into the closest room with a closeable door, which seemed to be something like a cupboard. He latched the door and then prayed to every single thing he could think of that he wouldn’t get caught.

“I hate humans!” Someone yelled.

“Why didn’t it work!” Another yelled, and when the footsteps stopped, Lance stepped out of the cupboard. Before running down the hallway of the hospital wing, his footsteps rang out but he couldn’t find it within himself to care.

It seemed the only time Lance was impulsive was when his friends were in danger. Every other time he was the more logical one. He generally had plans, he knew what he was doing and his friends strengths and weaknesses. He was the one who stopped others from doing things like this.

Yet here he was, running down a hallway ducking into dark corners to hide from Galra soldiers as he tried to find one of his best friends. Lance heard someone yell and something smash which he flinched at.

He stepped out of the corner. Before pausing at a door, which went to open and Lance threw himself to the side of the door as people ran past and he slid in, the door almost catching on a bit of his armour.

The lighting was red hear, and flashing. Which hurt Lance’s eyes, as his helmet tried to adjust, which it eventually did. 

There was yelling and things breaking and snarling. So (like an idiot) Lance headed in that direction, hiding when he had to, holding his breath until he had a chance to get out again. 

His heart was thumping and his mouth was getting drier and drier. As he got closer and closer to the yelling and things breaking. Lance gulped as he stepped inside.

It was Keith, holding his bayard, surrounded by sentries that had obviously been cut down. His eyes were… yellow, glowing yellow and his teeth were not normally that sharp. Lance stared at him. “Joder.”

At that Keith looked up and at him, snarling before lunging at him. Lance brought his shield up without a moment of hesitation. Meeting Keith’s eyes as he swiped at the shield. There was no way he was going to get through it.

“Keith,” Lance said, keeping his voice firm and steady. He knew the others didn’t want to see him like… this, Hell, Lance didn’t want to see him like this. 

He jumped to the side, bringing out his shield again and Keith swiped at it. Before getting his bayard, and attacking the shield like it was a person. As he snarled and growled, like an animal and Lance decided he hated this.

_ “Galra deal with heat much better than humans.”  _ Lance had said on that disaster of a mission all those weeks ago.Keith had been burnt, now Lance was sure of it and he was healed before anyone could or did notice. His teeth were sharper than most, his eyes were fucking yellow right now, his skin… was almost purple?

Lance almost dropped his shield when he realised.

He was Galra. Keith Kogane was Galra. He was a Galra.

Lance stumbled backwards, his shield going down before he could help it and Keith brought his sword down. Lance cried out, expecting shooting pain or just black which he’d never wake up from. Instead he found Keith, his sword mid-swing, but stopped.

Scrambling away Lance brought his shield back up. “Keith!” Lance snapped, “Buddy, you need to get it together!” Keith swiped again and Lance brought his shield up to meet it. “I don’t care if you’re Galra, but this can not be how they find out!”

Keith faltered for a moment, before lunging again.

Lance met Keith’s eyes, which were yellow and glowing. “Keith,” he whispered and Keith paused. “This isn’t you, and I know the idiot who can’t say squirrel is in there and I want that idiot back!”

Instead of having a startling revelation and snapping out of it Keith looked up at Lance slowly. Before bringing a fist down on the shield with an echoing  _ thunk.  _

He wasn’t going to hurt his best friend, even if he’d told Shiro he would, he was just bluffing. Maybe if Pidge or Hunk were the one being attacked by Keith instead. But, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt him.

Not like this, when Keith had no control. Not like this, where Lance knew the Keith he knew was in there. Not like this, where Keith had been hurt by people that were supposed to care about him for his entire life and they didn’t.

Maybe he was an idiot. In fact he probably was. But he wasn’t going to be one of the people who hurt Keith, not when he didn’t need to. Maybe he would if Keith had stabbed him three times.

“Keith. Come on,” Lance whined, suddenly not caring if he sounded young and whiney. He was young and he was whiney. “Okay! I want my friend back, even if I have to catch you out of mid-air when you’re being an idiot.”

He stopped fighting and stared at Lance.

Okay, so they were going this route then.

“Even if I try and teach you in vain to say squirrel. Even if you sell us out to the Galra because I’m injured. Even when you tell me you’re going to be careful and you pull out this shit, especially when Hunk makes a terrible joke and you laugh so hard you can’t breathe!”

He held out his hand, bringing his shield down. “I know you’re in there you idiot, and I know you’re scared and I’m scared too. But this isn’t you, and I want my friend back.” 

Keith’s eyes turned back to their purple-grey colour that Lance was all too familiar with, “Lance,” he whispered, with a smile. Reaching out with his hand before going completely limp.

Lance caught him. “Oh joder,” he muttered. “Hey guys!” He said, hoping his helmet would pick up on it and open a chat with them. “I found Keith, he’s — okay but he passed out and I don’t really know what to do.”

Shiro sweared into the comm.  _ “What happened?” _ Hunk managed.

“He… went a little psycho and then I calmed him down and he fainted!” Lance decided to leave out the part where Keith’s eyes glowed, and his skin turned purple and how Lance was almost certain that Keith. Keith Kogane, one of the kindest people that ever graced this sad universe, was part of a race that was known for genocide and enslavement.

If Keith knew, he could tell them. If he didn’t, Lance wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. This was Keith’s thing, not his to tell or discover.

_ “Is he breathing?” _ Pidge asked, and Lance could swear he heard typing in the background. 

“Yeah,” Lance responded. Holding Keith a little bit closer. Looking up and scanning for more sentries, and saw none, before hauling Keith up. So that an arm was around his shoulders and he could basically carry him like this. 

Maybe it was more like dragging, but it worked well enough.  _ “I think it’s some sort of poison,”  _ Pidge said into the comm,  _ “Maybe they overdosed him? Overestimated human genetics.” _

Or they hadn’t also been expecting Galra genetics thrown in there. Maybe, and Lance couldn’t be sure of it, it hadn’t worked at first. Maybe the Galra genes were fighting it off, so they pumped him with more drugs.

Then like humans Galra apparently got stronger and more ruthless if they got closer to death. So that explained why Keith went all psycho on him. Lance held Keith a bit closer, adjusting his grip on him so one hand was around his waist.

Keith wouldn’t remember it anyway.

Lance would have to start doing his research if he was going to cover for Keith, and he was going to. Because he knew that Keith would cover for him if the situations were reversed and Keith wouldn’t even think about doing the same for him.

“Well you heard them in the control room Pidge, they were shocked to hear humans have different blood types,” Lance replied and Pidge laughed into the comms. Keith made a noise next to him and Lance glanced at him.

He really did not look great, pale, like all the life had been sucked out of his skin. Before he made a gagging noise and Lance didn’t even hesitate to take his helmet off and Keith vomited into that.

Oh. Ew.

“Keith buddy,” Lance whispered. “I need your helmet to talk to Pidge.”

Keith took that off and Lance put it on his head. “It’s just me, Keith chucked into my helmet.”

_ “Ew.”  _ Pidge said,  _ “Is he conscious?” _

Slumping again Keith almost hit the ground, throwing Lance’s helmet to the ground and the vomit splashed against the ground. Lance considered himself to have a fairly strong stomach, he grew up surrounded by children who were all in various stages of sickness.

But this was a lot.

“My helmet’s going to smell like puke forever,” Lance complained. Before adjusting his grip again. “Where are you guys?”

_ “I can’t believe you let him puke in your helmet,”  _ Shiro muttered,  _ “You’re going to regret that.” _

Probably.

There was a noise and Lance looked up, Shiro was there. All tall looking, while Pidge and Hunk broke out into a run. Hunk straight away grabbed Keith and Pidge picked up Lance’s vomit filled helmet. Crinkling her nose.

“Ew.” She muttered which was fair enough. “I would say I’m surprised but I’m not.”

Lance rolled his eyes, as Shiro grabbed Keith. Hunk on one side, Shiro on the other Lance finally relaxed. They were safe, Keith was safe.

Pidge handed Lance’s helmet back to him and Lance sighed. 

* * *

“He’s been poisoned,” Coran explained, “We can either let the poison go through him naturally or throw him in a pod,” he said, looking at the paladins. Who were all looking at each other nervously. 

Allura sighed, “Lance, I think we might need to just make you a new helmet,” she shuddered at the one with chunks of vomit they still hadn’t managed to get out. “What you did was foolish.”

Shiro stepped up, “One might say stupid. You first of all went against my orders.”

“Your orders were dangerous.” 

“Second split up from the group.”

“Technically you split up from me,” Lance argued. 

“Third of all you took Keith on by yourself, which could’ve seriously injured you or him,” Shiro crossed his arms, really slipping into his Dad Voice TM and Lance crossed his arms at him. “Fourth of all you took off your helmet when not required and took Keith’s helmet off him.”

Lance sighed, “Fifth of all. I think you made the right call,” Shiro said and Lance looked up at him, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. “Maybe not about the helmets, but you took initiative.”

“Holy shit,” Pidge whispered, nudging Lance in the arm and Lance hit her a little bit harder. Swatting her away like the fly she was and she made a noise which was uncannily similar to a pigeon gurgling or whatever noise a pigeon made.

Lance nodded, crossing his arms. “Correct. I did.”

“It was reckless.”

“Yup.”

“And dangerous.”

“I know.”

“But I can’t be mad at you,” Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re not one to run off and not follow my lead and you’re not one to be as impulsive as Keith would’ve been.” Shiro sighed again. “I want to be proud, but the adult part of me says I should not be encouraging this behaviour.”

Lance shrugged, glancing at Keith who was placed on one of the bed. With a bucket this time, (not Lance’s helmet, thankfully) still looking pale as ever. He sat up and Lance grabbed the bucket, pushing it underneath him as he retched into it, before there was splattering.

Hunk looked about as sick as Keith. “I gotta go,” he managed and Pidge watched him leave.

“I gotta go make sure he doesn’t die,” she argued before darting out after him.

Keith groaned, hugging the bucket like a teddy bear. “Make it stop,” he groaned, looking at Shiro.

“The only way is for a pod buddy, do you want that?”

He nodded, vomiting again and Lance cringed slightly at how much vomit was really there. How he hadn’t torn his stomach lining, based on the noises and the gagging was shocking and pretty amazing.

Keith lurched again, “Wha’ ‘appened?”

Coran and Shiro grabbed Keith, a pod opened up for him and closed as he was put in. Lance held the bucket for a while longer before putting it at the bedside. Coran sighed.

“I don’t think he’ll remember anything, from when he was first injected with… whatever it was until it’s flushed from his system.”

He wouldn’t remember going Galra and he wouldn’t remember that Lance knew. 

“Joder,” he muttered. 

* * *

When Keith got out of the pod Lance wasn’t there, Lance was instead in the giant library, reading as much as he could on Galra. For example, now he knew way too much about their eating habits. Apparently Galra didn’t do very well with milk, they were essentially lactose intolerant.

When Keith rocked up, looking a bit dazed and a bit pale, but he finally had colour in his cheeks, even if it wasn’t much. It was better than being the paper-white that he was before.

He looked at the books that Lance had open and raised an eyebrow. Taking the seat in front of him. “Galra?” He said. “Why are you wasting your time on  _ them. _ ”

Lance looked up from his book. This situation required a bit of tact, a lot of tact really. If he said something about knowing the enemy he knew that Keith would freak out a little bit more. He knew Keith well enough to know that he resented the Galra, and finding out he was part of the group he resented couldn’t have done much good for his mental health.

He closed his book, propping his chin up with his hand. “Well, the Galra weren’t always murdering psychos, right? No race is completely good or completely evil, it has more to do with their environment. There is no way every Galra in the universe is pure evil, that’s just not fair.”

Keith smiled, “So you think Allura is wrong?”

“I know Allura is wrong. Think of Germany.”

“Why Germany?”

“World War Two? Nazi’s? Not every German person at the time was evil, lots were scared, but lots resisted and lots didn’t take accountability, but no one is evil like how no one is perfectly good. It seems kinda rude to not extend that to aliens,” Lance met Keith’s eyes.

With a shrug Keith stood up, “I don’t agree with you.”

“It’s not fair to say that all of one race are homicidal maniacs. It’s stereotyping.”

“Even if it’s true?”

“It’s not,” Lance argued. 

Part of him wanted to grab Keith by the shoulders and shake him and shake him hard. Tell him that Lance knew and he didn’t care and Keith wasn’t whatever he thought himself as. Yell at him that Keith was an idiot and an amazing person. But he didn’t, he just sat there. Surrounded by books.

He grabbed a thick book, “Zarkon was the leader of Voltron, he is fairly Galra if you ask me.”

Keith scrunched up his nose.

“Okay, really bad example. Apparently Galra advanced technology that the Altean’s use, which is why Pidge can hack both. Also, according to this book, Galra were some of the first recorded to reach out to known planets and provide them aid and technology. None of those things seem evil!”

Keith sat down again, crossing his arms and scowling. 

“Medicine, Galra made an early version of pods which the Alteans expanded on. Sure, the last ten thousand years they’ve enslaved people and committed horrendous acts. But they’re capable of good, I just proved that!” Lance finished before brushing a stray bit of hair out of his face.

Keith was thinking, and Lance could swear he smelt burning.

“Shiro told me you went against his orders and went off on your own.”

“Not this again,” Lance groaned, smacking his head on the table. “Look I’ve been lectured by Shiro and Allura, and Coran’s going to lecture me at dinner, so please give me some mercy!”

With a short laugh, Keith shook his head. “I would’ve done the same, apparently I also hurled into your helmet.”

“Don’t remind me,” Lance shuddered a bit and Keith laughed again. “Probably a bad move, but I don’t regret it that much. Hey, I get a new helmet out of it.”

“Thanks Lance,” Keith said, and his voice was truthful and his eyes were honest. It was the sort of genuineness that Keith didn’t let himself have a lot, “For having my back.”

Lance rolled his eyes, even if inside he was singing. “I always have your back, since I caught you mid-air, I can’t let that hard work go to waste.”

“I jump off a cliff one time expecting you to catch me, then I never hear the end of it.” Keith rolled his eyes, somehow also doing that fondly. “Dinner’s soon,” and he stood up and left.

The things he did for Keith Kogane amazed him sometimes. Shaking his head slightly he also got up, following after Keith. Preparing for whatever lecture Coran had prepared for him.

* * *

The next mission he went on was with Hunk and himself. Keith stood by the doorway, in the hangar. Before meeting eyes with Lance.

"Be careful."

"I will."

"As an idiot once told me, you can't be too careful."

And Lance laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> So, so, so. Lance has figured it out. Despite all of the odds. Also, Lance is way smarter than most people give him credit for. Originally I was going to have him figure it out when everyone else did, but Lance has the pieces and so he'd put them together really quickly, and knowing Lance he'd be sticking up for Keith even when he's not.
> 
> This piece was more Keith centric but from Lance's POV, so the next piece I'm focusing on Lance and Lance's issues. This piece was important though, and it needed to be Lance's POV. The next two pieces are... I was going to say fluffy but I am lying. Light angst in the first and pretty heavy angst...
> 
>   
> Also. After those two "break" chapters, I am putting them through hell. I wish I was kidding, but Keith will straight up not have a good time and Lance will be having a struggle.


End file.
